Welcome to the Masqueradepart two
by Airon Pegasus
Summary: Twilight and her friends finally find out what that devious baby monkey had in store when Applejack wakes up somewhere she never would have guessed. These six ponies are determined to get back at the monkey for what he did, without letting Rainbow Dash know what they had done.


When Applejack woke up, she didn't recognize the room she was in. She sat up and looked around. Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight and she realized where she was. This was Pinkie Pie's room! How did she get there? And where was Pinkie Pie?

Suddenly she looked down, her hooves were pink! She reached for her mane and found that it was incredibly curled and bouncy. She looked back at her flank and her suspicions were assured when she saw three bright balloons imprinted on her cute, pink flank. She was Pinkie Pie!

She rushed out the door and ran straight to the library. Twilight had to know something about this! When she got there, Twilight was up and sorting through her books. She knocked on the door and Twilight came to greet Pinkie Pie.

"Good morning Pinkie Pie, how are y-" she didn't get to finish.

"Twilight, it's not Pinkie Pie!" When she spoke, she still sounded like Applejack, so that helped prove that she wasn't Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack?" Twilight was incredibly confused when her pink friend nodded.

"What happened to me?" Applejack demanded with Pinkie Pie's worried eyes.

Before Twilight could make a guess, Rarity crashed into Pinkie Pie and they all fell onto each other inside. When they were mostly sorted out Twilight asked Rarity what she was doing there.

"We've got a big problem!" Rarity shouted, but with Airon's voice.

"I'll say we do!" They heard Pinkie Pie, but when they turned they saw Airon.

"What's going on?" Twilight demanded, even though no-pony knew.

Just then, Applejack and Fluttershy came in. Twilight went to speak to them and found out that Applejack was actually Fluttershy and Fluttershy was really Rarity. Now that she mostly understood who every-pony really was, she gathered them together and spoke to them all at once. "Everyone listen, I don't know why you're all like this, but-"

"I believe it had to do with the monkey and the rain," Rarity said through Fluttershy's mouth.

"That would be a good assumption, but-" Twilight was cut off again.

"It's the only logical explanation!" Airon's voice shouted from Rarity's mouth. "And we need to get him to change us back! I mean, just look at me. I'm a mare! I can't live like this, especially without wings! Do you know what the Guard would say if they saw a mare in the ranks! So weak, and not hardly as efficient!" He couldn't stop moving while he ranted, grabbing Twilight by the cheeks to make sure she understood.

"Well excuuuse me," Rarity/Fluttershy huffed.

Twilight flashed some magic to get their attention. "While the baboon in the forest is a logical reason to this, umm, happening, that doesn't explain why I haven't been affected."

"Well," Fluttershy's quiet voice came from Applejack's personage hiding in the back, "I did see your horn start glowing before it started raining."

Twilight stomped a hoof. "Of course! I began a protection spell to shield us from an attack. The magic from the spell must have leaked a minor amount of it to only me before the rain started. I'm sorry every-pony, I should have cast it on all of us."

"That's alright sugar cube," Applejack said, "but I, personally, don't prefer bein' Pinkie Pie, so I think we can agree that it's for the better that we get back to that monkey and get him to change us back!"

They all agreed and Twilight let them charge from the door to go back to the Everfree Forest, to try to become themselves again. On their way, Rainbow Dash caught them and began speaking to them.

Twilight jumped out front while Rainbow dash spoke to who she saw as Pinkie Pie. She told her friend how she felt much better during a nice clear day after such a powerful rain storm. Twilight interrupted after summoning a face mask to her muzzle.

"Sorry Rainbow Dash," Twilight told her, "but every one of our friends seems to have a sore throat." Everyone behind her caught on and started imitating coughs and groans of pain. "I was just going to take them to Zacora's for a Super-Natural remedy."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, but didn't question. "Well alright," she said, "hope you guys get better. Stay safe going through the Everfree Forest."

Rainbow Dash flew off and Twilight led her friends forward. Suddenly Rainbow Dash came back, "Actually, do you mind if I go with you? I've got nothing else to do."

Twilight began sweating in panic, "Well, they're pretty sick. I think it would be better if I just take them myself."

"Can't you give me one of those masks you're wearing?" Rainbow Dash seemed unrealistically determined.

"Well no, this is the only one I have," Twilight hated to lie to her friend, but didn't want her to worry about them since they went into the Everfree Forest with her so worried about her dream. Her dream, that's it! "Besides, I thought you had a nightmare about the Forest, so you still shouldn't go in there."

Rainbow Dash rubbed at her neck, embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I just figured it was kind of silly. I'm really not nearly as worried as before, I'll be fine."

Twilight started stalling, repeating that it's not a good idea. In the back of the crowd of friends. Airon (as Rarity) spoke to Pinkie Pie in his body, telling her his plan.

"Rainbow Dash!" He shouted from behind Pinkie Pie as she mimicked his words as close as she could. "You told me that you were more motivated to begin regular exercises like I do." He remembered Twilight's plan and trough in a harsh cough and Pinkie Pie followed suit.

"Yeah, so?" Rainbow Dash scorned.

"I think that it is imperative that you continue a regular routine until it becomes habitual for you to exercise every morning! So get to it." He coughed a few more times to keep up the act.

Rainbow Dashed moaned, "Fine," and dashed away. "I'll just meet you at Zacora's later then!" She shouted before she got too far.

Twilight turned and congratulated Airon for coming up with the plan to get Rainbow Dash to leave. She also mentioned how lucky they were that Rainbow Dash believed it. However, she remembered the problem they had and everyone rushed off again. They found the grotto with the baby baboon much quicker this time and got straight to business.

"Excuse me baboon, but you seem to have pulled a ridiculous prank on my friends and we would appreciate it if you returned them all to their rightful bodies." Twilight demand from the young monkey. He just sat there smiling, cranking his music box. They all took a few looks up to make sure it wasn't about to rain again.

Airon grew impatient quickly. "I can't take this anymore. I'll make him do it by force if I have to, but I don't want to be like this anymore." Rarity huffed again and Airon looked back toward her, reminding himself that she wasn't really Fluttershy. "I don't expect that any of you really want to stay like this, and if we have to force the kid to fix us then why not?"

Every-pony seemed to be motivated by the thought of getting back to normal, so they agreed. When they turned back toward the baboon baby, hundreds of adult apes had gathered all around the tree stump-throne. The six ponies tried not to become discouraged by the sight. "We'll ask nicely one last time," Twilight mentioned.

Each side, monkey and pony, prepared to defend themselves. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie stepped forward and hurt her hoof on a stick. The shriek of pain she gave startled the baboons and they charged. Twilight blasted a few back, but they overwhelmed her magic quickly. Every-pony began fighting back.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie easily understood how to fly in their temporary pegasus body, at least enough to make it effective in this fight. Airon never managed to grasp the magical ability he had at the moment. However, he understood eventually just how powerful Rarity really was, at least when he could get her body to.

Fluttershy was having trouble adjusting to herself not having wings. Also, Applejack finally understood how useful it was being as bouncy as Pinkie Pie. Every-pony learned something very special about their friends.

Somewhere in the jumble, Twilight heard the familiar noise of the music box playing backward. She looked over and the baby baboon was frowning, he looked legitimately sad. She caught herself casting a spell of protection on herself and the rain started up again. Twilight tried aiming a magic beam at the music box, but the adult monkeys wouldn't leave a clear shot. Suddenly, she saw Applejack jump out in front of her and buck one if the apes into three others.

"Oops, sorry," Fluttershy said, "I don't know my own strength."

"Thanks Fluttershy," Twilight said. She quickly powered up a shot of magic and fired at the music box. It barely buzzed off the handle, but it was enough. All of the monkeys stopped fighting and fell asleep where they stood. As for the baby, he finally opened his eyes.

Every-pony faced him as he realized what was going on. He apologized quietly and tried to put the handle back onto the music box. Pinkie Pie flew up with Airon's body.

The baby baboon held up a hand to stop her. "This rain will change you back. I promise." He told her.

He reattached handle and played the song forward as the rain slowly let up. The ponies couldn't help but feel incredibly drowsy. They quickly nodded off, except Twilight. She was still unaffected. They woke up soon, and all made sure they were all who they were so supposed to be. They were.

Twilight turned to thank the baby baboon, but he had vanished, along with all of the adults and the tree stump throne. They were alone in the grotto.

They met Rainbow Dash at Zacora's hut. They were all relieved when they found out they didn't have to tell Rainbow Dash about the adventure. They took the medicine from Zacora, after Twilight assured that it was harmless to perfectly healthy ponies. They swallowed their measured doses and headed back.

Later on, Airon found Rarity and pulled her aside. "Rarity," he began, "I just wanted to apologize for misjudging you earlier. I was wrong to think that mares weren't as strong, or able-bodied as stallions. After being...you for that long, I realised that you are a very powerful mare. So again, I'm sorry for what I said. I guess, I should have just known that it's wrong to take lightly the way ponies look. So believe me, I won't take any-pony for granted again."

Rarity blushed a little, but accepted his apology. "Oh, an Airon dear," she called out before he got too far, "I would recommend taking this lesson you've learned to Twilight. She's very interested in having us relay our learning about friendship to her. I just think, since you're new, you might want to try it." She played with her hair as she spoke, as if having Airon be in control of it messed it up.

Airon nodded and flew off to the library to tell Twilight.


End file.
